Project 2 from DaveO: aluminum canoe refit

[jakeru]

I hope you can get it out and paddling successfully. That dolly looks serious!

If you are having problems with the rivet not "popping" during installation, you might try adding some backing washers (available in aluminum, really cheap) to your pop rivets. They help the pop rivet fasten thin, weaker material, or where holes are drilled out slightly oversize much better. They are installed on the opposite side from where you insert the pop rivet from. Another tip that may be helpful is, try to compress the "material sandwich" together during installation, if possible. You can press down with the riveting tool but might need something behind to press against the material. (Perhaps a "rivet relief" hole drilled into your dolly might be "just the ticket".)

Edit: I took another look at your picture, and have another idea about what could be going on with your smaller rivets. You might need a different piece that screws into the nose of your pop riveting tool, with a smaller ID, for the smaller rivets. See if you can find a piece that screws into your pop riveting tool that has an ID that matches the OD of the "stem" coming out of your pop rivets.